Descending
by bjames238
Summary: Alternate situation during "The Descent". What if Elena hadn't been able to get away from a rabid Rose? Who will come to Elena's rescue? Will she be okay?


Descending

The Vampire Diaries Season 2 "The Descent" A.U. Stefan/Elena

Disclaimer: Don't own Vampire Diaries or any of its characters. I'm just a fan who had a nagging "what if" on her brain that wouldn't leave her alone.

Elena opened the door to Damon's room, a set of sheets in her hands. "I brought some clean sheets." She said aloud to Rose. She looked up, surprised to find the bed empty. She looked around – Rose was gone. She went over to the bed and put the sheets down. She left the room, only slightly nervous, going downstairs. Where did Rose go?

She searched the downstairs, going into the living room. Rose wasn't in here either. She crossed the floor to the table where she'd left her bag and dug inside for her phone.

She pulled it out, searching through her contacts for Damon's number. When she found it she dialed it. It rang until the voice message played. She sighed, and the machine beeped. "It's Elena. Um . . . I'm worried about Rose. I think you should come home . . ." Something thudded in another part of the house. "Rose?" She called out. She turned her phone off, pocketing it.

She followed the noise to the basement, her heart thumping in her chest. When she reached the bottom of the stone steps she saw something on the ground and bent down to pick it up. It was a nearly empty blood bag.

She stood up, noticing a trail of blood droplets leading deeper in the basement. She followed it even though every instinct in her body was telling her not too. As she rounded the corner she heard a sucking sound. "Oh my god . . ."  
Several empty blood bags littered the floor around her as the vampire who sat on the floor drank from the one in her hand. Blood dripped down her face and covered her hands. Warning bells sounded in Elena's mind but she couldn't get her legs to run away.

It was then that Rose looked up, straight at Elena who was still holding the empty blood bag in her hands. Elena's heart pounded in her ears.

"Katerina . . ." Rose's demented mind snarled.

The blood bag fell from Elena's hand as she backed up. "No . . ." Elena turned to run away even while Rose was rising to her feet. Elena pushed a fallen door in Rose's way and ran up to the main floor. She tried to get through the doors to the kitchen but they were locked. She turned around – Rose was right there in front of her. "Rose, stop! Stop, it's Elena!" She tried to reason with the rabid vampire who was snarling at her, fangs in full force. Elena held out her hand. "I'm not Katherine . . ." She pulled her phone out of her pocket, her fingers trying to work the phone to contact Stefan or Damon or _somebody _who could help her . . . "You're hallucinating. I'm not Katherine! I'm _not_ Katherine!"

It seemed as if it was starting to work. Rose's eyes began to revert to normal. Elena continued to back up.

But then Rose snarled, lunging at her. Elena screamed, her phone falling to the ground and shattering. Rose pushed her to the ground, holding down her arm. Elena tried to push her away but she wasn't strong enough. Fear and panic flooded her system. She reached for the curtain behind her to let the light in but it was just out of reach.

"No . . ." She screamed, tears running down her eyes. Rose was snarling and growling and pinned both of Elena's arms down. "Please, Rose . . . I'm not Katherine . . ." Elena cried out still trying to get away.

Rose bared her fangs and was descending them toward Elena's neck. Elena felt a white-hot searing pain in her skin. She screamed louder and louder as Rose greedily ripped into her neck

Her body began to feel numb and she grew tried, her eyelids heavy. She screamed with the last of her energy and the room went black . . .

TVDTVDTVDTVDTVD

Stefan pulled his red car into the driveway, a smile gracing his lips when he saw that Elena's car was still parked. She was still here. Good, he'd planned on taking a shower and heading to her house anyway. Now, maybe they could shower together . . .

He turned the car off, walking up to the house with eagerness. He opened the door and . . . sweet, hot blood filled his senses.

What the _hell_ was going on?

A scream filled the air and he used his vampire speed to follow it. He growled, his face changing, when he saw the source of the blood and the screams:

Rose was bent over a now-unconscious Elena, feeding off her.

"Elena!" He growled, throwing Rose off his girlfriend. Rose's face was rabid, covered in Elena's blood. She tried to go after Elena again but Stefan threw her against the wall. Rose got up and took off. Where the hell was Damon? Wasn't he supposed to be looking after Rose?

He raced to Elena's side. There was a huge, bleeding, gaping hole in her neck. There was blood _everywhere_. "God no, Elena . . . don't leave me . . ." He bit the inside of his wrist and pressed her it against her pale lips. The blood dripped into her mouth and down her throat and soon her heartbeat returned to normal. When he thought she'd had enough, he pulled his arm away from her mouth. She coughed, spitting some of the blood out.

"Thank god . . ." He sighed, letting out a breath. He cradled her head in his lap, watching the wound on her neck begin to heal.

It was then he remembered Rose but when he looked up she was nowhere to be found. Satisfied they were out of danger for the moment, he picked Elena up and sped upstairs to his room. He gently set her on his bed.

He went into the bathroom across the hall, wet a washrag, and returned to his room. He pulled her hair aside, pushing her shirt down enough to wipe the blood from her skin.

He heard a noise downstairs and raced to close the door. He pushed a dresser in front of the door. He could handle Rose by himself but he didn't want to take the chance of her going after Elena again.

He went back to the bed, laying down next to her, and held her in his arms. He lay there listening to her heartbeat.

He also heard Rose clamoring around downstairs. Then she was behind his door, crying. "Oh god . . . Stefan I'm so sorry . . . I thought she was Katerina but I know now she's Elena . . . oh god . . ." The vampire coughed and Stefan could hear liquid spilling from her throat. "_Please_, help me . . ."

Not trusting her, Stefan stayed where he was. He stroked Elena's temple, placing kisses on the side of her neck that hadn't been bitten. He hoped she'd stay asleep.

TVDTVDTVDTVDTVD

Hours later after the sun had gone down, he heard the front door downstairs open. Rose was seemingly gone.

He listened for a moment, not hearing any other downstairs. He kissed Elena's lips briefly before standing and going oven by the door. He picked up a stake of his desk and pushed the dresser away from the door. He listened for noise again, but heard nothing. He opened the door, cautiously peering into the hall. Turning back to find Elena still asleep, he went out into the hall, closing the door behind him.

He stalked quietly down the hall, stake ready in his hands. He went down the stairs . . . only to find the front door wide open. He and Elena were the only ones in the house. And then . . . Damon appeared.

"Where's Rose?" Damon looked around the room.

Stefan gestured to the open door. "Gone." Damon's eyes widened. "You left her here with _Elena_?"

Damon sniffed the air. "Blood . . . is she okay?"

"She is now," Stefan growled. "I had to give her some of my blood."

"She's rabid?" Damon asked of Rose but already knew the answer.

"And much more," Stefan nodded. Damon took the stake from his brother and disappeared in a blur out the front door. Stefan closed the door and used his speed to get back upstairs to Elena.

He opened his bedroom door, quietly so as not to disturb her. He knelt on the floor at her side, examining her wound. It was healing but the area was still raw and pink. He rubbed her temples with his thumbs and kissed her.

Her forehead crinkled and her nose wriggled. "Ow . . ." She mumbled, her hand rising up to her neck.

"Sshhh..." He whispered, kissing her again, putting her arm down.

"Sstffnn . . ." Her voice was slurred, still asleep.

"Sshhh..." He whispered again, trying to get her to go back to sleep. The more she slept, the faster she would heal.

Her eyes opened though, fear still present. "W-What happened?"

"You're okay, it's okay," He assured her. He rested his hand on her shoulder. She calmed down a bit.

"R-Rose . . ." She trailed off.

"She won't come after you again, I promise," Stefan placed a kiss on her forehead. "You're okay."

Her hand wrapped around his bicep, her forehead creased with worry. "Will she be okay?"

He sighed. She was always thinking about everyone but herself. He loved that about her but wished she was more careful with her own life. He couldn't ever bear to lose her.

"Damon's got it covered," Stefan told her, hoping she'd be satisfied with that.  
"S-She didn't mean it, Stefan," Elena said. Stefan stood, crawling to the other side of the bed next to her. He held her against his chest.

"It's okay, don't worry about it," He said.

"It was the werewolf bite, it made her crazy or something," Elena said. "She thought I was Katherine . . ."

He nodded. "Ssshh . . . just rest."

She was quiet for a while, snuggling into him. "Stefan?" She whispered.

"What is it?" He, too, whispered.

"It still hurts . . ." She sighed. "A-And my head . . ."

"I'm sorry, I had to give you my blood." He told her. "Rose took a lot before I found you. If I had been any longer . . ." He couldn't bring himself to finish the sentence. "But the would was so severe . . . my blood didn't completely heal it."

"It's okay. I have some aspirin in my bag downstairs . . ." She started to get up but he held her down.

"Stay, I'll go." He stood up, leaning down to kiss her. "Just rest."

She sighed, nodding. He sped downstairs and grabbed her bag. Then he headed into the kitchen to grab a glass and filled it with water. When he got back upstairs he found she was asleep again, snuggling with his pillow as if it her him or a teddy bear. He smiled, sighing. He wished he didn't have to wake her but she needed a pain reliever in her system.

He went back to his side of the bed, sitting down. He set the water glass on the night stand. He reached inside for the aspirin bottle, putting the bag down on the table as well. He opened the bottle and took two pills out.

He watched her sleep for a moment before leaning over and pressing a chaste kiss on her cheek. She grumbled in her sleep. "Elena, sweetheart, I need you to take these aspirin."

She sighed, opening an eye, frowning. He helped her to sit, resting his hand on the small of her back for support. She was still half asleep. Her body leaned against his arm. He opened her mouth and put the pills in. With one hand he reached for the glass. He tilted her head back a bit. She jerked awake, lucid for a moment. He took the opportunity to lift the glass to her mouth.

"Take a drink, Elena," He whispered. She did, swallowing the aspirin down her throat. She gulped, her face scrunched. He set the glass on the night stand. She swayed to the side and he righted her, his hands on her shoulders. "Elena?"

Her head lolled back. She was completely asleep again. He gently lay her down on the pillow. He reached down to take off her shoes, throwing them down on the floor. He pulled the covers down, pulled them back over her.

She snuggled the in covers on her side, her face still scrunched. He kicked off his own shoes and lay down under the covers next to her, wrapping his arms around her waist and pressing kisses into her shoulder.

They needed to talk about a lot of things – including the fact that her uncle/father was currently back in Mystic Falls in her house because her boyfriend brought him there – but there would be time for that later. There was also Damon and Elijah and Klaus and the werewolves to deal with too . . . but for right now it could wait.

Right now all that mattered was that he'd almost lost her – again – and right now he didn't want to let her out of his sight.

Elena moaned in her sleep, holding her neck. She must be having nightmares. Stefan's brow creased with worry and he held her closer, hoping to squeeze the nightmares away. He buried his face in her shoulder and whispered loving things in her ears, hoping to help her pretend for just a moment that their world wasn't falling apart around them . . .

The End.


End file.
